Cinema Studies

In a remote Haitian village there is a dance with slaves and masters: the whipping zombie ritual. To trance-inducing music played by rara bands, men whip and fight until they die and are reborn in the infinite cycle.

Spirits of Rebellion: Black Cinema from UCLA documents the lives and work of a small critically acclaimed group of black filmmakers and media artists known as the Los Angeles Rebellion, the first collective of minority filmmakers that aimed to reimagine the production process to represent, reflect on, and enrich the day to day lives of people in their own communities.

Executive-produced by award-winning actor/filmmaker John Turturro, BEYOND WISEGUYS is a feature-length documentary that uses extraordinary interviews with prominent Italian American film artists such as John Turturro, Isabella Rossellini, Susan Sarandon, Martin Scorsese, Ben Gazzara, Marisa Tomei, and many others to explore the personal experiences that brought them all to the movies.

Survivors Rowe documents the tragic stories of three men who were victims of Ralph Rowe, an Anglican priest who molested over 500 children, and the courageous journey they undertake to arrive at a place of healing and forgiveness.

Meet Lee and Opal, an elderly couple living in the Appalachian Mountains. Recorded over three years, Linefork is an observational film about marriage, community, resilience, and the raw yet delicate music of an unheralded banjo legend, linked to the past yet immediately present.

A charismatic activist leads a globally-regarded NGO that provides shelter and education for girls rescued from brothels in Northern Thailand. But as the filmmakers meet the girls and their families, discrepancies begin to emerge and the story they're telling takes an unexpected turn.

In Bolivia, the glaciers are melting. Samuel, a ski lift operator at the world’s highest elevation ski resort is seeing firsthand the effects of climate change. Generations of his family have lived and worked in the snowy mountains, but now due to unprecedented environmental changes, the snow is gone. With scientists looking for answers, Samuel turns to ancient rituals to soothe the mountain’s spirit in hopes of bringing back the snow and his way of life.

Follow the day-to-day lives of Mexican migrant workers as they travel the United States to work for the struggling carnival industry. They are legally employed through the controversial H-2B work visa program and may be the last hope for the carnivals. Farewell Ferris Wheel takes a good hard look at the crossroads between economic need and human rights through one of the most emblematic symbols of Americana.

A documentary cult classic, Cinemania is an affectionate portrait of five obsessive filmgoers whose voracious appetite for film has consumed everything else in their lives. A fascinating look at the roots of film-addiction, Cinemania is an irresistible and hilarious ode to cinephilia for the ages

Humorous and candid, Kartemquin Films' documentary Almost There is a fascinating portrait of eccentric "outsider" artist Peter Anton. Living in a home that has been consumed by mold and filth, the octogenarian has produced a startling collection of unseen paintings, drawings, and notebooks. The film’s remarkable journey follows this witty and gifted artist through startling twists and turns.

A stark testimonial of the previously unseen and unheard, award-winning Starless Dreams plunges us into the lives of young teenage girls sharing temporary quarters at a rehabilitation and correction center on the outskirts of Tehran. An unforgettable cinematic portrayal of restored innocence and humanity Starless Dreams is the last installment of the groundbreaking documentary trilogy Youth Behind Bars: The Iran Trilogy.

Following his harrowing documentary, It's Always Late for Freedom, director Mehrdad Oskouei continues his exploration of a male juvenile detention facility near Tehran. Last Days of Winter follows these young men in the days leading up to the Iranian New Year, as they take stock of their lives.

Philippe Garrel's In the Shadow of Women takes a close look at infidelity in this acclaimed love triangle. Stanislas Merhar and Clotilde Courau are Pierre and Manon, a Parisian married couple working in fragile harmony on Pierre's documentary film projects, the latest of which is a portrait of a resistance fighter (Jean Pommier).

Here Come the Videofreex tells the enthralling story of a pioneering collective of video journalists known as the Videofreex who in the 60s and 70s became the forerunners of public access television and the modern internet news era as they deployed the first handheld video cameras to report and observe the world around them.

An immersive and transporting experience directed by Taiwanese auteur Tsai Ming-liang (Stray Dogs), Journey to the West focuses on the figure of the Walker, a character loosely based on the life of Xuanzang, a seventh-century Buddhist monk who painstakingly traversed Asia for seventeen years in search of "the void."

A gripping and moving story that illustrates the impact cosmopolitan recognition has on an isolated population, From Iran: A Separation details the reception of the speech Asghar Farhadi (About Elly) gave when his film A Separation won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

In fifteen linked chapters shot in locations ranging from Moscow to New York to
Istanbul, Counting merges city symphony, diary film, and personal/political essay to create
a vivid portrait of contemporary life.